demography Flashcards
what are the 6 key terms - demography
birth rate - number of live births per 1000 of the pop per year
fertility rate - average number of children per women (differs from completed fam size)
infant mortality rate - number of deaths (under the age of 1) per 1000 live births per year
mortality rate - number of deaths per 1000 of pop per year (death rate)
net migration - number of people moving into a country - minus number of people moving away
life expectancy - average length of time someone expected to live - average age a newborn would reach - assuming mortality rates remain the same
what does the current ageing population effect
low death and birth rates - population no longer resembles traditional pop pyramid but is being turned with baby boomers becoming dependent older adults of today
Hirsch - dependency ration is problematic - people will need to retire later and pay more tax
Townsend - old age is a social construct and society has enforced helplessness and dependency on older adults, rather than it being a biological inevitability
what are older adults seen as in society and how does a high net migration help
increasingly older adults - seen as a prosperous section of society (the grey pound)
Blaikie - older adults are consumers and have disposable income and leisure time to spend
Migration = help resolve the problem of an increased dependency ratio, bringing in more working-age adults
what does Pilcher suggest
the problems really come from difficulties of social policy rather than demography - issue not old people but poor old people - mainly women
if social policy can reduce inequality and discrimination against women - ageing population would be less of a problem
3 key themes with links to F&M
socialisation - the family is the agent of primary socialisation - this process is fundamental to sociology of the family
culture & identity - the way in which families have been a fundamental part of someone culture and identity
social differentiation, power and stratification - different experiences of diff genders, social classes and ethnicities have been considered - the question of who has power in the family and in society has been asked (marxist and femininists)
BIRTH - Reasons for decline in birth rate
Changes in women position
Decline in the infant mortality rate
Children now economically liability
Child centerdness
BIRTH - What are some changes in position of women
-legal equality with men eg right vote
-increased educational opportunities
-Changes in attitudes to family life and women roles
-easier accesss to divorce
-abortion + contraception = women have more control over fertility
BIRTH - How have some of these changes caused a decline in birth rate
Harper - education of women is one of the main reasons for the decline
-change in mindsets
-now see other possibilities
In 2012 1in 5 women aged 45 was childless - double the number from 25 years before
IMR - How does the decline in infant mortality effect birth rate
Harper - fall in the IMR = fall in birth rate - if many infants die, parents have more to replace them = increase in birth rate
- therefore if infants survive parents will have fewer
However Kabir argues trends to smaller families began in urban areas where IMR remained higher for longer not when IMR began to fall
IMR - What are some factors in the cause of the decline in IMR
-imporved housing + better sanitisation
-better nutrition
-child health and welfare
Children-economic liability - Why ?
Children used to be economic assets to parents - would go out to work from early age + earn income
-however since late 19th century laws and changing norms changed this
Children-economic liability
How did laws + changing norms create children to be a liability
Laws - ban in child labour, compulsory education + raise in school leaving age = remain economically dependent on parents for longer
Changing norms - what children have right to expect from parents (materials) = cost of bringing up children have risen
A results of financial pressure = parents less willing or able to have large families
Child centredness
Why has child centredness increased
-now socially constructed as a uniquely important period in individuals life
-family size - now quality over quantity
Parents will have fewer children and lavish more attention on the few children
What does changes in fertility further effect in society
The family, dependency ratio + public services and policies
How does change in fertility effect the family
Smaller families - women more free to go work = dual earner couple (equal)
However this is only one factor - better off couples may still be able to have large families + afford things such as childcare = both can work full time
What is the dependency ratio
Relationship between size of the working/productive part of population & size of non working/dependsnt part of population
Earning, savings & taxes of working population support dependent population
How does change in fertility effect this
Children make up large part of dependant pop - so fall in number of children reduces ‘burden of dependency’ on working population
However fever babies being born = fewer young adults for working population - burden of dependency may begin again
What public services does change in fertility effect
There will be fewer schools, maternity and child health needed (limits jobs)
However these are political decisions and not set facts - therefore instead of reducing numbers of schools for example, government could decide to have smaller class sizes
Death
What does tranter suggest id the main reason for the decline in death rate is
1850-1970 over 3/4 of the decline was due to fall in number of deaths from infectious diseases - eg, measles + smallpox
- common amongst infants, children + young adults
By 1950s - heart disease + cancer replaced infectious diseases = main cause of death
- affected middle age and old more than young
However social factors probs had greater impact on infectious diseases
Death
What are some social factors in the decline
Improved nutrition, medical improvements + smoking & diet
Death
What does mckeown say about improved nutrition
It accounted for up to half the reduction of death rates
-increased resistance to infection + survival chances of those that became infected
However he doesn’t explain why females who received less nutrition lived longer than men
Death
How did medical improvements after 1950s help
Improved medical knowledge, techniques + organizations help reduce death rates
For example
-inteoduction of antibiotics, immunisation, blood transfusion
-NHS set up in 1948
Death
What did harper say regarding smoking & diet within the reduction
Great fall not from medical improvements, but simply reduction in number of people smoking
However in 21st century - obesity has placed smoking (new lifestyle)
- but although obesity has increased dramatically, deaths from obesity has been kept low due to drug therapies
Ageing population
Overall facts of ageing population
Average age in uk is rising - 1971 (34.1 yrs) 2013 (40.3) = fewer young people & more old people
Ageing population caused by: increased life expectancy, decline infant mortality + decline fertility
Ageing population
How does the increase in old age effect population
They consume a larger proportion of services - eg, health + social care
-may mean changes in policies, transport, housing etc…
However we need to beware of overgeneralising - many old people remain in relatively good health
Ageing population
The dependency ratio also includes non working old - how does this effect population?
They’re an economically dependant group who need to be provided for by working age eg taxation - pay for their healthcare
Rise in number of retirement = increase in dependent ration & burden on working population
However while there’s a rise in number of old people - there’s a decrease in dependent children
Ageing population
How does the ageing population cause ageism
Ageing has been constructed as a ‘problem’
Ageism = Old people receive discrimination in employment + unequal treatment in health care etc…
Ageing population
Sociologists argue ageism is result of structured dependency but how can this be argued
The old are largely excluded from paid work which leaves them economically dependent on their families and the state
Therefore those excluded from production from compulsory retirement are almost forced to have this defendant status
Ageing population
What’s Marxist perspective on this idea?
Old are of no use to capitalism - they’re no longer productive = state unwilling to support them adequately
- this means family often have to take responsibility for their care
Ageing population
What’s do postmodernist say about old age
Fixed orderly stages of life course have broken down
- eg, children dressing and adult style, late marriage and early retirement = blurs the boundaries between life stages
Hunt - individuals have greater choice of lifestyle no matter their age
Therefore the old become market range - may include cosmetic surgery, excercise equipment, gym + anti-ageing products
Ageing population
How does this help break down against stereotypes
Media - images ow portray positive aspects of elderly lifestyles
Emphasising surface features - body becomes a surface here we can write identites -eg anti ageing products enable old to write diff identities for themselves
Ageing population
How does pitcher argue there’s still inequality among the old
Inequality such as class + gender stillemain important…
Class - m/c = better occupational pensions + greater savings from higher pay - where poorer old people have shorter life expectancy + suffer more infirmity (more difficult to maintain young identity)
Gender - womens lower pay = lower pension
- additionally subject to against stereotypes eg - being described as old hags
In what ways could globalisation cause most economic + social change in family
Economic - cause manufacturing jobs to leave uk - change in gender roles, including a possible crisis of masculinity (boys and men who no longer have clear roles)
Immigration - contributed to changes of structure in families (family diversity)
Globalisation on popular culture - significant tech change transforming the media
-palmer - impact on childhood - creating a toxic childhood
However social media + other tech - allowed families to keep close contact despite large geographical distance
